The Fruit of The Spirit - Temperance
Scripture: 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affectionsb and lusts.
Introduction:
This mornings message is the concluding message in the series on the Fruit of the Spirit. We have looked at the Fruit of the Spirit and each of it’s manifestations in the life of the maturing believer.
Today we will look at “Temperance”.
This is the last of the nine manifestations of the Fruit of the Spirit but it is far from being the least. Perhaps it has been placed last in the list for it is the most difficult to manifest on any consistent basis in our lives.
There are times when our conduct is quite exemplary and other times when it can be deplorable. At times we are exemplify the epitomy of control and at other times we are like erupting vulcano’s.
Listen to how the prophet of God describes it for us .
Isa. 5:1,2 Now let me sing to my Well-beloved A song of my Beloved aregarding His vineyard: My Well-beloved has a vineyard On a very fruitful hill. 2 He dug it up and cleared out its stones, And planted it with the choicest vine. He built a tower in its midst, And also made a winepress in it; So He expected it to bring forth good grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes.
God has planted his vineyard with the choicest vine.
Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. John 15:5
If we are to to bear “much fruit” for him we must abide constantly in Him.
1. TEMPERANCE DEFINED
What then is this thing the bible calls “Temperance.”
The dictionary refers to it as:
1. moderation or self-restraint in action, statement, etc.; self-control.
2. habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion, esp. in the use of alcoholic liquors.
3. total abstinence from alcoholic liquors.
The word temperance became associated with total abstinence of alcohol during what was know as the temperance movement in the early 19th century. During those days it was not uncommon for preachers to preach against drinking alcohol with strong conviction.
(Illustration)
“During this time period a preacher was winding up his temperance sermon with great fervor: "If I had all the beer in the world, I’d take it and throw it into the river."
The congregation cried, "Amen!"
"And if I had all the wine in the world, I’d take it and throw it in the river."
The congregation cried, "Amen!"
"And if I had all the whiskey and the rum in the world, I’d take it all and throw it in the river."
And the congregation cried, "Amen!"
After the sermon the preacher sat down. The deacon stood up: "For our closing hymn," he announced, "let us turn to page 126 and sing, ’We Shall Gather at the River.’"
(www.sermoncentral.com)
Some have translated it self control but this can be most misleading. It leads one to think that all one needs to do is steel his will. Be stronger. More determined. It is the product of one’s being. But if that were true it would not be the fruit of the Spirit rather the fruit of one’s self.
It is true that Temperance means self-control. It is control over the whole man (spirit, soul, and body) which enables us to live a victorious life. As 1Cor. 9:25 implies And everyone who competes for the prize 1is temperate in all things.
Ned H. Holmgren said "Temperance means the abstinence from all that is evil, and the moderate use of all that is good." (www.sermoncentral.com)
But it is much more than mere self discipline. Eph. 5:18 tells us “ And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, It is not the mere exercise of self discipline to remove or control our lives, it is the voluntary submission of our will to the will of the Holy Spirit within us, born out of “Love” for God
Discipline and temperance can often look very much a like but they do not necessarily produce the same end results. For instance two men walking by a book store in the airport both notice pornography books on the shelf. The first man says to himself, I shouldn’t look at that stuff. It’s wrong. So while he feels the strong pull of his carnal man he steels himself and continues walking away.
Now the second man he sees the same books and immediately feels a prick in his heart. He feels the old man’s desire but his heart responds with, ‘I don’t want to go there, I love the Lord and not only is this not be good for me, but it will break God’s heart.’
The first man and the second man both walk away and by appearances they have the same result. But did they. The first man is merely using his will, but the second man used not only his will but the “love for God”
Philip Keller in his book entitled “A Gardener Looks At The Fruit of the Spirit” says that self control in the biblical sense “means my ‘self’ my whole person, my whole being, body soul and spirit come under the control of Christ. It means that I am an individual governed by God. My entire life, every aspect of it – whether spiritual, moral or physical – has become subject to the sovereignty of God’s Spirit. ‘I am a man under authority.’ The running of my affairs, my attitudes, my actions is a right that has been relinquished and turned over to God’s Gracious Spirit”
2. Maturity Dictates Temperance
“One of the basic characteristics of infancy is a lack of self-control. Not only do babies need diapers, they must be carried because they lack the necessary control and muscle coordination to sit up much less walk or run. If babies are healthy and normal, in time they will develop more and more self-control—a sure sign of growth and maturity.”
So too in our spiritual life. If we are to mature in Christ, then it necessitates that we become more “Self-controlled.” By self- control I mean the controlling of “self” by submission to the Spirit of God. How then can you or I develop this “Temperance” in our lives.
If you want to develop the fruit of self-control, you have to do a couple of things:
1. Stop believing the lie! The lie that giving up that which will bring temperance in your life will be too painful.
Illustration
(1) "M. Scott Peck writes in his book "The Road Less Traveled: "I spent much of my ninth summer on a bicycle. About a mile from our house the road went down a steep hill and turned sharply at the bottom. Coasting down the hill one morning, I felt my gathering speed to be ecstatic. To give up this ecstasy by applying brakes seemed an absurd self-punishment. So I resolved to simultaneously retain my speed and negotiate the corner. My ecstasy ended seconds later when I was propelled a dozen feet off the road into the woods. I was badly scratched and bleeding, and the front wheel of my new bike was twisted beyond use from its impact against a tree. I had been unwilling to suffer the pain of giving up my ecstatic speed in the interest of maintaining my balance around the corner. I learned, however, that the loss of balance is ultimately more painful than the giving up required to maintain balance.”
2. You must honestly answer these questions:
A. What am I a slave to?
• Food? Lust? Power? Money? The Past? Drugs? Alcohol? Bitterness? Jealousy? Anger? You fill in the blank?
• Unless we are prepared to be honest with ourself and acknowledge areas in our lives where we do not have this kind of “Spirit Control” then we will remain enslaved
B. What do I have to say “no” to right now?
• In order to be free there are somethings we need to say no to
• Some things need to be removed from our lives
• The abstinence of all evil as Ned Holmgren put it
• Paul says all things are lawful, but not all things are expedient
• Sometimes we need to say no to things that are not necessarily evil in themselves in order that we may say yes to the things that are best
C. What do I have to say “yes” to right now?
• The Spirit’s promptings are not just about removing things from our lives
• It is also about saying yes to the right things
o Like attending church or bible study regularly
o Like reading your bible daily
o Like prayer
o Like attending mid-week home groups
o Like tithing
o Like serving
o You fill in the blank… what do you need to say yes to…
3. Then we need to confess them to the Lord and ask for forgiveness and help in light of these questions.
God is waiting eagerly to respond with new strength to each little act of self-control, small disciplines of prayer, feeble searching after him. And his children shall be filled if they will only hunger and thirst after what he offers. (Richard Holloway www.sermoncentral.com)
The Cost of Temperance
You may have noticed that today I added a verse to our text. Instead of the Gal. 5:22-23 we actually read verse 24.
Let’s read vs. 24 again.And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affectionsb and lusts
If we would have this control of the spirit in our lives then we must be prepared to “die to self.” We must surrender our rights to him who died for us. We must recognize in our daily lives “we are not our own we have been bought with a price.” Only then can this temperance, this balanced life of the spirit be manifested in us.
Could you imagine what would happen if each of us could allow the Holy Spirit to produce the entire Garden of the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives.
CONCLUSION: AClosing Poem
Edgar A. Guest was born in Birmingham, England, became a citizen of the United States in 1902, and eventually received the title “Poet Laureate of Michigan.” His poem “Sermons We See,” drives home the urgency of being a Christ-like role model for others to follow:
I’d rather see a sermon
than hear one any day;
I’d rather one should walk with me
than merely tell the way.
The eye’s a better pupil
and more willing than the ear,
Fine counsel is confusing,
but example’s always clear;
And the best of all the preachers
are the men who live their creeds,
For to see good put in action
is what everybody needs.
I soon can learn to do it
if you’ll let me see it done;
I can watch your hands in action,
but your tongue too fast may run.
And the lecture you deliver
may be very wise and true,
But I’d rather get my lessons
by observing what you do;
For I might misunderstand you
and the high advice you give,
But there’s no misunderstanding
how you act and how you live.
When I see a deed of kindness,
I am eager to be kind.
When a weaker brother stumbles
and a strong man stays behind
Just to see if he can help him,
then the wish grows strong in me
To become as big and thoughtful
as I know that friend to be.
And all travelers can witness
that the best of guides today
Is not the one who tells them,
but the one who shows the way.
One good man teaches many,
men believe what they behold;
One deed of kindness noticed
is worth forty that are told.
Who stands with men of honor
learns to hold his honor dear,
For right living speaks a language
which to every one is clear.
Though an able speaker charms me
with his eloquence, I say,
I’d rather see a sermon
than to hear one, any day.
You and I can only imitate Jesus as the power of the Holy Spirit enables us. May his indwelling presence produce in each of us the Fruit of the Spirit. As He leads us, may we be that sermon others will see and come to follow Jesus as His disciples too.
(R. David Renolds - www.sermoncentral.com)
